Medical patients requiring the administration of oxygen or other gases for extended periods of time generally require the use of a cannula apparatus. A cannula apparatus such as a nasal cannula commonly includes an oxygen-carrying tube having two branches capable of being draped over the ears of a patient. The two tubular branches are joined together in front of the patient""s face with a central portion providing two nostril orifices. In order to ensure that the orifices of the nasal cannula remain in registry with the patient""s nostrils during use, the two tubular branches of the nasal cannula are typically draped across and supported by the patient""s ears. By doing so, the tubular branches function as an earpiece to hold the cannula apparatus in place.
Unfortunately, extensive use of a nasal cannula can irritate and cause great discomfort in the patient. In particular, current nasal cannula apparatuses fail to provide necessary support in relieving the pressure of the cannula from the patient""s ears, face, neck, and skin. Thus, discomfort above and behind the patient""s ears is a common occurrence. In some cases, discomfort may start off as simple redness and progress to sores or ulcerations above the ears due to the constant rubbing of the tubing against the skin.
Another problem with the use of cannula apparatuses occurs with a freely movable patient. Most mobile patients who require the constant administration of oxygen use at least a 50-foot cannula within their dwellings. Because a longer cannula is required for a freely movable patient, the additional weight from the longer cannula causes a substantial increase in pressure against the skin and areas that support and hold the cannula. Further, because the patient is mobile and the cannula is longer, the cannula will often get caught on furniture or other objects located within the patient""s vicinity. A common practice to prevent or alleviate discomfort is to hold the cannula at all times. By holding the cannula, the patient can alleviate the increased pressure generated by the additional length of the cannula as well as to absorb the shock produced when the cannula gets caught on various objects. Since patients must use one hand to hold the cannula as they move about, patients are left with only one free hand to perform activities.
In addition, when a patient is resting or sleeping, it is not unusual for the cannula apparatus to be accidentally displaced or yanked against the patient""s ears, face, neck, and skin. This often aggravates any irritation and/or soreness associated with the use of the cannula. Further, if the tubular branches of a nasal cannula are displaced from across the ears, the nostril orifices may move out of registry with the patient""s nostrils and render the cannula ineffective for its intended purpose and uncomfortable to the patient.
At the present time, there are a variety of apparatuses available to aid in alleviating these problems. Often, these apparatuses do so by removing the cannula from the patient""s ears. Different variations of relief include the use of a skull cap to support and secure the cannula as well a means for securing the cannula to eye glasses. A problem associated with attaching the cannula to eyeglasses or to a skull cap is that the patient cannot comfortably wear the eyeglasses or the skull cap when sleeping. Further, skull caps need to be sized for each user.
Another apparatus currently used to prevent irritation generated by a cannula is a strap-like device adapted to be draped across the top of a patient""s head. The strap-like device has two looped end portions through which the tubular branches of the cannula are routed. If the length of the strap-like device is sized appropriately, the tubular branches will be suspended in a spaced relationship above the patient""s ears as the strap-like device is draped across the patient""s head. By supporting the tubular branches above the patient""s ears in this manner, the likelihood that the cannula will irritate or cause discomfort to a patient is reduced.
However, strap-like devices such as the one described above are limited in that when the tubular branches are supported within the end portions of the strap-like device, the tubular portions may shift in position (i.e. in a lengthwise direction) relative to the end portion of the device. Moreover, a strap-like device does little to alleviate the problem of snagging and yanking of the cannula when the patient is mobile.
Also available are ear pads that are placed behind the patient""s ears to help alleviate the discomfort of the cannula rubbing against the tender tissue. Because the pads do not provide a means for controlling the tension and pressure created by a cannula, the pads do not entirely alleviate the discomfort associated with the use of a cannula. The pads are sometimes placed over areas already irritated by the cannula, which may slow the healing process around that area. Further, these pads must often be replaced, making them an expensive and inefficient method for addressing the discomfort caused by a cannula.
There are known clips for medical tubing that attach to fixed items such as beds or clothing. The area for holding the medical tubing is not located along the surface of the clip but rather along an elongate strip attached to the clip. By placing the medical tube holder on a strip and not directly on the clip, such devices are less effective in alleviating the pressure generated by the cannula against the patient""s skin and ears because the strip can bend under the weight of the cannula or when the cannula is snagged against an object. Further, a restive sleeping patient can dislodge the cannula, or even the elongate strip, thus rendering the clip ineffective for its intended purpose.
Another tube/wire holding device designed for maintaining the position of medical tubes is a mesentery tube holder apparatus with a base plate that would adhere to a patient""s skin. A flap with one end permanently affixed to the base plate holds a tube by having an opposite end that adheres to a medical tube. Such fasteners can be difficult to use and ineffective in relieving the pressure of the cannula from the ears. Moreover, the adhesives can irritate skin making such devices undesirable for extended use.
Therefore, there continues to be a need for new and improved apparatuses and methods to secure and support a cannula and alleviate associated discomfort. The present invention overcomes these problems and disadvantages by providing a cannula clip that relieves the discomfort and irritation caused by the weight and rubbing of a cannula against the patient""s face, neck, and skin. Further, the cannula clip according to the present invention advantageously secures and alleviates pressure created either from the weight of a longer cannula or from snagging and yanking of the cannula against objects within the vicinity of a freely mobile patient. The method of using the cannula clip is simple and efficient while the cannula clips themselves are easily manufactured.
The present invention provides an apparatus that eliminates the pressure and rubbing of a cannula against a patient""s ears, face, neck, and skin. This pressure often causes inflammation, sores, and ulcers around the ears. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the subject invention is a cannula clip comprising any known clip used in attachment to fixed objects such as clothing or bedding and a cannula holder situated on the clip.
When the cannula clip is used, the pressure of the cannula against the ears, face, neck, and skin of a patient is reduced. Advantageously, the cannula clip secures the cannula such that there is no accidental dislodgement of the cannula when the patient is resting or sleeping.
The apparatuses and methods of the subject invention can be used by such institutions as health care facilities and nursing facilities that wish to decrease their spending on such items as ear pads or strap-like devices while improving patient comfort. In addition, ambulatory patients that often use longer cannulae so that they may move about freely without discomfort can use the subject apparatuses and methods. The apparatuses and methods of the subject invention are also advantageous in that they are easy to use by patients or individuals requiring relief from discomfort caused by cannulae.
In one embodiment, specifically exemplified herein, the cannula clip is composed of a spring clip having a pair of elongated members, each with a jaw portion. The elongated members are mounted about a spring assembly that serves as a pivot or fulcrum. The spring assembly unites the elongated members and urges the jaw portions of the clip toward their closed position. A cannula holder is attached to an elongated member. The cannula holder is an open-ended, U-shaped sleeve with a cannula receptacle located at the U-shaped base of the sleeve. The open-ended sleeve has an upper and lower strip, with a bend formed in at least one of the strips to form the cannula receptacle. The cannula holder is attached to the outer surface of an elongated member at either the upper or lower strip of the open-ended sleeve so that the cannula receptacle is located either substantially above or below the clip. In another embodiment, the cannula holder is a C-shaped spring piece with a base end rigidly affixed to an elongated member of the clip.
In a method of use, the cannula holder is inserted over an area of a cannula at least four inches below the site where the tubular branching occurs. Then the clip is attached to a fixed object around the area of the breast bone. In an alternate embodiment, the clip is first attached to a fixed object and then the cannula is inserted into the cannula holder.
An advantageous apparatus is provided by the subject invention that alleviates the pressure of the cannula from the patient""s ears, face, neck, and skin. Further, the subject cannula clip provides ease of resting or sleeping because it not only alleviates the pressure of the cannula from the ears, face, neck and skin but it also helps to secure the cannula from accidental dislodgement.
The cannula clip also alleviates any additional pressure associated with a longer cannula when used by a mobile patient. The subject invention also advantageously absorbs the force and pressure generated by a longer cannula when it snags objects within a mobile patient""s vicinity. Because the cannula clip alleviates pressure from a longer cannula or from the snagging and yanking of the cannula, a patient now has two free hands to perform activities without worrying about any discomfort or irritation generated by the cannula.
Further, the cannula clip of the subject invention provides a better means for securing and supporting a cannula. By positioning the cannula receptacle either substantially above or below the clip, the cannula clip provides a more effective means for alleviating the pressure exerted by the weight of a cannula or the pressure of a snagged cannula. In addition, there is less likelihood of dislodging the cannula when it is held either underneath or directly on top of the clip versus on an elongate strip.
The present invention also provides a cannula clip that is easy and economical to manufacture. Further the subject cannula clip is uncomplicated in construction and effective in operation. For example, the cannula clip does not need to be adjusted and sized for every user""s head.